The present invention is directed to a flowmeter with a floating body which floats freely in a stream in a measuring tube and is acted upon by a flowing force, buoyancy and a weight.
It has been known for a long time to provide flowmeters with a freely floating floating body without guide rods, guide ribs, guide surfaces or the like. For improving self-stability thereof, the floating body may be caused to rotate. In such a flowmeter, the weight of the floating body acts counter to the sum of flowing force and buoyancy, and the lift of the floating body is used to carry out the flow measurement via a measuring scale starting from a zero position. Hereby, the weight of the used material restricts the floating body, and oftentimes flowmeters have to be used with a measuring tube of greater width than the associated line.
In addition, so-called spring washer type flowmeters are known. Hereby, the sum of flowing force and buoyancy counteracts a spring on a measuring disk and the weight of the measuring disk. The measuring disk is arranged together with the spring centrally in longitudinal direction in the measuring tube upon a guide rod for movement therealong. Frictions, caused as a result of the guide rod, adversely affect the measuring accuracy, and situations may also be encountered in which the measuring disk with the spring seize upon the guide rod so that the flowmeter is no longer operational.
The invention is directed to overcome the afore-stated difficulties and to provide a flowmeter which enables a reliable flow measurement while being of smallest possible dimension and without risk of obstruction by guide means or the like.
It would therefore be desirable and advantageous to provide an improved flowmeter which obviates prior art shortcomings and which enables a reliable flow measurement while being of smallest possible dimension and without risk of obstruction by guide means or the like.